Production of Multi-Grain, Whole-Grain, Soft and Crunchy Sheeted Snacks

ABSTRACT

The present invention discloses a method for making a multi-grain, whole grain baked snack food product with a soft, crunchy texture similar to a cracker. Ingredient formula ranges have been determined that maximize the amount and number of nutritious whole grains present in the snack food, while still keeping the texture soft and crunchy, and the color and flavor acceptable. The ingredients are combined with water to make a dough, which is then sheeted and cut into pieces. The pieces are baked to produce a multi-grain, whole grain baked snack food.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a divisional patent application of U.S. Ser. No.11/466,886 filed on Aug. 24, 2006, entitled “Production of Multi-Grain,Whole-Grain, Soft and Crunchy Sheeted Snacks.” the technical disclosureof which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to a method for making an improved bakedsnack food and more particularly to a method for making a bakedmulti-grain, whole-grain snack food that is low in fat and has a softand crunchy texture similar to a cracker.

2. Description of Related Art

Snack food products such as crackers are popular consumer items forwhich there exists a great demand. Conventional crackers have a soft,crunchy texture and are typically prepared using refined wheat flourdough (approximately 60% refined wheat flour by weight). The refinedwheat flour dough is compressed between a pair of counter rotatingsheeter/cutter rollers that are located closely together, therebyproviding a pinch point through which the dough is formed into sheetsand cut into a desired shape. Often the desired snack piece shape isthat of a square or circle. After the dough is cut, the snack pieces aretransported towards and through an oven, which reduces the moisturecontent inside the snack piece. The oven cooks the snack piece andimparts a crunchy texture. The snack pieces are then sent to bepackaged.

Although the cooking step imparts a crunchy texture into the cracker, itretains some of its soft texture due to the fat added to the dough inthe form of oil and from the soft, refined nature of the wheat flourused. Consequently, the presence of a high content of fat, and ofrefined wheat flour (which has lost many of the vitamins, minerals,fiber and anti-oxidants present in the original wheat grain) makesconventional crackers a less than ideal healthy snack food option.

In recent years, consumer demand has been dramatically increasing forhealthy foods in general, and healthy snack foods in particular.According to the Food and Drug Administration, a diet that is high infiber can reduce a person's risk of certain cancers, diabetes, digestivedisorders, and heart diseases. Fiber can also help people controlobesity because insoluble fiber is not digested and passes through thedigestive system virtually in tact, providing very few calories.Furthermore, vitamins and minerals are widely recognized as part of ahealthy diet. Antioxidants have been proven to reduce the risk of heartdisease and cancer, and are suspected of having many other healthbenefits.

Nutritious snacks should meet several criteria that include limits onthe amount of fat, including saturated and trans-fatty acids,cholesterol, sodium, and added sugar. The criteria also include productsformulated to have specific health or wellness benefits. Specifically, anutritious snack should contain, per serving, no more than 35% of itscalories from fat, 1 gram or less of saturated fatty acids, zerotrans-fatty acids, no more than 60 mg of cholesterol, no more than 270milligrams of sodium, and more than 10% of the FDA recommended dailyvalue of fiber. No prior art snack food has been able to deliver highlevels of multi-grain and whole-grain nutrients, along with theseadditional hallmarks of nutritious snacks in the form of a soft, crunchycracker. Consequently, the need exists for a healthy, nutritious snackpiece having a soft, crunchy texture.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention thus provides a great tasting, healthy snack foodhaving a soft, crunchy texture similar to the texture of a cracker. Inone aspect of the invention, a high content of whole grain flour is usedas a healthier substitute for a portion of the refined wheat flour usedin traditional crackers. In another aspect of the invention, at leastthree different whole grain flours, namely whole wheat flour, brown riceflour, and whole oat flour are used to make the snack food a healthymulti-grain food. In yet another aspect of the invention, waxy starch(starch high in amylopectin), emulsifiers such as lecithin and mono anddiglyceride, and potato flakes are substituted for a portion of therefined wheat flour used in traditional crackers in order to impart thedesired soft texture into the snack food. The addition of a small amountof double acting baking powder also contributes to a light texture,which is identified by the consumer as a soft texture. Another aspect ofthe invention involves adding pregelatinized or modified starch, whichallows the snack food to expand during cooking and contributes to itscrunchy texture. These as well as additional features and advantages ofthe present invention will become apparent in the following writtendescription.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The novel features believed characteristic of the invention are setforth in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, as well asa preferred mode of use, further objectives and advantages thereof, willbe best understood by reference to the following detailed description ofillustrative embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a flowchart indicating the processing steps for the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The whole-grain, multi-grain baked snack food of the present inventionis prepared using several different whole grain flours. As used herein,whole grains are cereal grains which retain the bran and germ of thegrain kernel as well as the endosperm. By contrast, refined grainsretain only the endosperm. The bran is the outer shell of the kernel,and is high in fiber, vitamins and minerals. The germ is located insidethe seed, and is high in antioxidants (especially vitamin E) and Bvitamins. The remainder of the interior of the kernel is the endosperm,which is mostly composed of carbohydrates and protein.

Thus, whole grains are nutritionally superior to refined grains, andricher in dietary fiber, antioxidants, protein (particularly lysine),dietary minerals (including magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, andselenium), and vitamins (including niacin, vitamin B6, and vitamin E).Moreover, the three different whole grain flours used in the presentinvention (whole wheat flour, whole oat flour, and brown rice flour)each contain different levels of these nutritious contents relative toone another. It is therefore understood that the use of severaldifferent whole grain flours in the present invention makes the snackfood described herein nutritionally superior to whole grain productsthat only utilize one or two whole grain flours. The whole wheat flourused in the present invention is preferably stone ground, with a minimumprotein content of 14%, a maximum moisture content of 14%, and a totalamount of dietary fiber of about 10.5% by weight. It is produced byConAgra Foods, Inc. in Omaha, Nebr. under the brand name Medium, WholeWheat Flour, Stone Ground. Stone grinding creates the specific mediumcoarse granulation of this flour. The whole oat flour preferably has amaximum moisture content of about 11% and a dietary fiber content of atleast about 10% by weight on a dry basis. It is produced by Can-OatMilling in Portage La Prarie, Manitoba, Canada under the brand nameWhole Oat Flour: 105-002. The brown rice flour preferably has a moisturecontent of about 12% and a total dietary fiber content of at least about4.5%. It is produced by Sage V Foods, LLC in Los Angeles, Calif. underthe brand name Stabilized Brown Rice Flour BF-L04080-12. This flour hasbeen stabilized for extended shelf life.

Using high amounts of whole grain flours in baked snack foods typicallyimparts a rough, coarse texture into the snack food. Thus, one novelaspect of the present invention relates to the methods employed tocreate a soft and smooth, yet crunchy texture into the snack food,instead of the rough, gritty texture generally associated with wholegrain flours while still using relatively high levels of whole grainflours.

One of the ingredients that helps soften the texture of this whole-grainsnack food is starch that has a high content of amylopectin, or waxystarch. Amylopectin is a branch-chained polysaccharide, whereas theother component of most starches, amylose, is a straight-chainedpolysaccharide. The starch used in the present invention is preferablywaxy corn starch. While normal corn starch typically has a ratio ofabout 25% amylose to about 75% amylopectin, waxy corn starch containsabout 100% amylopectin. The waxy starch used in the present inventionpreferably contains about 100% amylopectin starch and about 0% amylosestarch. The waxy texture of the amylopectin starch used in the presentinvention contributes to the final product characteristic softness. Awaxy starch that can be used in the present invention is Staley 7350Waxy No. 1 Starch from Tate & Lyle, PLC in London, U.K. This waxy starchcontains about 100% amylopectin.

Another ingredient in the snack foods described herein that contributesto the final product softness is the addition of potato flakes. Potatoflakes are made from potatoes that have been cooked, mashed, and dried.For example, Idaho Pacific Corporation in Ririe, Id. produces potatoflakes under the brand name Potato Flakes #124 that can be used asherein described. The potato flakes impart a soft, light and flakytexture to the snack food of the present invention that helps counteractthe roughness of the whole grain flours used.

Other ingredients that contribute to the final product softness are theemulsifiers and leavening agent used in the present invention. The firstemulsifier is a soy based lecithin powder, for example Solec G-EXavailable at The Solae Company in St. Louis, Mo. Lecithin is a mixtureof various phospholipids, and is extracted from soybean oil. The secondemulsifier is a mixture of mono and diglycerides. Glycerides are estersformed from glycerol and fatty acids. A monoglyceride comprises onefatty acid chain covalently bonded to a glycerol molecule through anester linkage. A diglyceride comprises two fatty acid chains covalentlybonded to a glycerol molecule through ester linkages. The ratio ofmonoglycerides to diglycerides in the emulsifier used in the presentinvention is about 44% to about 48% monoglycerides, and about 38% toabout 42% diglycerides. Such a mixture of mono and diglycerides can beobtained from American Ingredients Company in Kansas City, Mo. under thebrand name BFP 64K. Another ingredient that contributes to overallproduct softness is double acting baking powder, for example Eagle branddouble acting baking powder. Double acting baking powder contains twoacid salts, one which reacts at room temperature, causing the dough torise as soon as it is prepared, and another which reacts at a highertemperature, causing a further rise during baking. The double actingbaking powder gives the final snack product a light texture that isinterpreted by the consumer as a soft texture, and helps counteract theroughness of the whole-grain flour. The double acting baking powder canimpart a bad aftertaste used in quantities higher than about 3% of thedough by weight. The low levels of leavening agents used in thisinvention to produce a cracker-like snack food with a soft, crunchytexture comprise yet another novel aspect of this invention.

As stated previously, the whole grain flour contributes to thecrunchiness of the final snack product. Another ingredient that givesthe product crunchiness is the addition of pregelatinized and/orchemically modified starch from corn, potato or other origin.Pregelatinized starches have been thermally processed so that they canform pastes or gels when mixed with cold water. These starches, whencooked, impart the desirable crunchy texture to the snack food productof the present invention. Chemically modified starches have beenchemically processed to alter their physical properties to provide anexpanded and crunchy product. Examples of chemical modificationsinclude, without limitation, cross-linking, substitution, andconversions.

In one preferred embodiment, water is added to the dry ingredients tomake a multi-grain, whole grain dough. The resultant dough comprisesabout 5% to about 25% whole wheat flour, about 5% to about 20% refinedwheat flour, about 5% to about 15% modified and/or pregelatinizedstarch, about 5% to about 15% waxy starch, about 1% to about 8% brownrice flour, about 1% to about 8% whole oat flour, about 1% to about 8%potato flakes, less than about 3% lecithin powder, less than about 1%mono and diglycerides, less than about 2% double acting baking powder,and about 15% to about 30% added water. All percentages used herein areby weight unless otherwise noted.

In a more preferred embodiment, the resultant dough comprises about 10%to about 20% whole wheat flour, about 5% to about 15% refined wheatflour, about 7% to about 13% modified and/or pregelatinized starch,about 7% to about 13% waxy starch, about 2% to about 6% brown riceflour, about 2% to about 6% whole oat flour, about 2% to about 6% potatoflakes, less than about 2% lecithin powder, less than about 1% mono anddiglycerides, less than about 1% double acting baking powder, and about15% to about 25% water.

In the most preferred embodiment, the resultant dough comprises about15% to about 20% whole wheat flour, about 10% to about 15% refined wheatflour, about 9% to about 12% modified and/or pregelatinized starch,about 9% to about 12% waxy starch, about 3% to about 6% brown riceflour, about 3% to about 6% whole oat flour, about 3% to about 6% potatoflakes, less than about 2% lecithin powder, less than about 1% mono anddiglycerides, less than about 1% double acting baking powder, and about18% to about 25% water.

Referring to FIG. 1, therein is depicted a flowchart indicating thegeneral processing steps for producing the baked snack food product ofthe present invention. In the first processing step, the dry ingredients102 are mixed with water 104 and other ingredients in a continuous,batch or other mixer 106 to produce a dough. The mixing preferablyoccurs at ambient temperature, generally about 60° F. to about 95° F.,and the dough exits the mixer between about 85° F. and about 95° F. Morepreferably, the water is chilled to about 40° F. to about 60° F. beforeit is added to the mixer in order to reduce the temperature of the doughexiting the mixer, thus reducing the likelihood of the dough sticking tothe rollers during the sheeting step. Using chilled water will reducethe dough temperature by about 5 to about 20 degrees, depending on theextent of the water chilling and the amount of heat generated duringmixing.

The dough then undergoes a sheeting step 108, whereby the dough iscompressed between a pair of counter rotating sheeter/cutter rollersthat are located closely together, thereby providing a pinch pointthrough which the dough is formed into sheets. The sheet of dough ispreferably between about 0.050 inches and about 0.055 inches thick, andmore preferably about 0.053 inches thick after the sheeting step. Thepreferred thickness is preferably accomplished by passing the doughthrough several successive stages, with each successive stage having therollers located progressively closer together, more preferably 2, 3 or 4stages of rollers. Passing the dough through several stages of rollersminimizes the amount of work done on the dough during the sheeting stepby any particular set of rollers, thereby reducing the influence of thesheeting step on the physical properties of the dough that areestablished during the mixing step. The pregelatinized starch and/ormodified starch in the dough aids in holding the dough together in orderto form a continuous sheet.

The sheet of dough is then cut into a plurality of pieces 110,preferably using a rotary cutting unit. The pieces are then baked in anoven 112 at between about 240° F. and about 500° F. to form a snack foodhaving a moisture content between about 1% and about 3% of the totalproduct weight. The snack food can then be seasoned 114 in a seasoningtumbler and then packaged.

The resultant snack piece in one preferred embodiment comprises about10% to about 25% whole wheat flour, about 5% to about 20% enriched wheatflour, about 5% to about 20% modified starch, about 5% to about 20% waxystarch, about 1% to about 9% potato flakes, about 1% to about 9% wholeoat flour, about 1% to about 9% whole rice flour, about 1% to about 3%water, less than about 3% lecithin, less than about 1% glycerides, andless than about 2% leavening. The resultant snack piece in anotherpreferred embodiment comprises about 15% to about 25% whole wheat flour,about 10% to about 20% enriched wheat flour, about 10% to about 20%modified starch, about 10% to about 20% waxy starch, about 2% to about8% potato flakes, about 2% to about 8% whole oat four, about 2% to about8% whole rice flour, about 1.5% to about 3% water, less than about 2%lecithin, less than about 1% glycerides, and less than about 1%leavening.

FIRST EXAMPLE

The table below illustrates the ingredients and their relative amountsthat were used to make a multi-grain, whole grain snack food productwith a soft, crunchy texture similar to that of a cracker:

TABLE I Wt. % Wt. % Dry Wt. % Seasoned Ingredient Ingredients DoughProduct Whole Wheat Flour 19.63% 15.65% 18.04% Refined Wheat Flour14.22% 11.34% 12.53% Modified Starch 12.80% 10.21% 12.32% Waxy Starch12.80% 10.21% 11.41% Corn Oil 10.67% 8.51% 12.88% Sugar (granulated)7.97% 6.35% 8.15% Honey 4.27% 3.4% 3.56% Brown Rice Flour 4.27% 3.4%3.85% Whole Oat Flour 4.27% 3.4% 3.93% Potato Flakes 4.27% 3.4% 4.05%Lecithin Powder 1.71% 1.36% 1.72% Wheat Germ 1.42% 1.13% 1.35% Mono &Diglycerides 0.85% 0.68% 0.87% Double Acting Baking 0.43% 0.34% 0.42%Powder Salt 0.28% 0.23% 0.90% Annatto 0.14% 0.11% 0.12% Seasoning — —1.99% Added Water — 20.26% 1.91%

In this embodiment, dry ingredients were combined in a dry ribbon batchmixer for approximately 4 minutes. The dry ingredient mix then passedthrough a twin-screw extrusion continuous dough mixer for about 42seconds that added the honey, water and oil to create the dough. Thedough exited the mixer at between 85° F. and 92° F. The dough was thensheeted using 2 stages of rollers to produce a sheet of dough about0.053 inches thick. The sheet of dough then passed through a rotarycutting step that produced a plurality of square shaped pieces. Thepieces were then baked in a Wolverine jet impingement oven for 65seconds at 425° F. to produce partially baked snack pieces having atotal moisture content between 3.5% and 6.5% by weight. The partiallybaked pieces were then dried in a Wenger convection oven for 7 minutesat 240° F. to a final moisture content between 2% and 2.5%. The finalsnack pieces were then seasoned using a tumbler, where they were lightlysprayed with oil and salt.

SECOND EXAMPLE

The table below illustrates the ingredients and their relative amountsthat were used to make a multi-grain, whole grain snack food productwith a soft, crunchy texture similar to that of a cracker:

TABLE II Wt. % Wt. % Dry Wt. % Seasoned Ingredient Ingredients DoughProduct Whole Wheat Flour 21.25% 16.39% 19.82% Refined Wheat Flour14.16% 10.93% 12.66% Modified Starch 12.75% 9.84% 12.45% Waxy Starch12.75% 9.84% 11.53% Corn Oil 10.62% 8.20% 13.00% Corn Syrup 4.53% 3.50%3.86% Sugar (granulated) 3.40% 2.62% 3.53% Honey 4.25% 3.28% 3.60% BrownRice Flour 4.25% 3.28% 3.89% Whole Oat Flour 4.25% 3.28% 3.97% PotatoFlakes 4.25% 3.28% 4.09% Lecithin Powder 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% Wheat Germ1.42% 1.09% 1.37% Mono & Diglycerides 0.85% 0.66% 0.88% Double ActingBaking 0.42% 0.33% 0.42% Powder Ammonium Bicarbonate 0.42% 0.33% 0.42%Salt 0.28% 0.22% 0.90% Annatto 0.14% 0.11% 0.13% Seasoning — — 1.99%Added Water — 22.84% 1.91%In the above embodiment, all of the ingredients were mixed in a batchmixer for about 8 minutes. The resulting dough exited the mixer atbetween 88° F. and 95° F., and was allowed to rest for about 20 minutes.The dough was then sheeted using 4 stages of rollers, which produced asheet of dough approximately 0.053 inches thick. The sheet of dough wascut into individual pieces of dough square in shape. The dough pieceswere then baked in an APV direct fired gas oven at 400° F. for 5.5minutes to produce baked snack pieces having a moisture content ofbetween about 2% and about 2.5%. The baked snack pieces were thenseasoned using a tumbler, where they were lightly sprayed with oil andsalt.

The baked snack pieces produced by both of the above examples had thedesired soft, crunchy texture similar to the texture of a cracker. Thehardness and crunchiness of the snack pieces were measured using a 6millimeter diameter Magness Taylor probe mounted on a texture analyzersuch as a TA.XT2 Texture Analyzer manufactured by Stable Micro Systems,Ltd. in Godalming, Surrey, U.K. and distributed in North America byTexture Technologies Corp. in Scarsdale, N.Y. In order to determine thetexture of the snack piece, it undergoes a Texture Testing Protocol. Forpurposes of this application, the Texture Testing Protocol for thepresent invention is as follows: (1) mount the snack piece on a solidbase support with a diameter of about 20 millimeters and a hole centeredunder the probe; (2) puncture a hole in the snack piece using a MagnessTaylor probe having a 6 millimeter diameter traveling at a speed betweenabout 1 millimeter per second and about 20 millimeters per secondthrough a distance of about 3 millimeters; (3) measure and plot theforce required for the probe to break through the snack piece in grainforce versus time. The maximum force (in grams) of the resultingpuncture curve is the characteristic hardness of the snack piece. Theslope of the puncture curve reflects how fast the cracker crumbles anddisintegrates, which is the characteristic crunchiness of the snackpiece. The crunchiness is expressed in force per time or, with respectto the present invention, grams per second. The snack piece of thepresent invention has a hardness measured pursuant to the TextureTesting Protocol of between about 8000 grams of force to about 13000grams of force. The snack piece of the present invention has acrunchiness measured pursuant to the Texture Testing Protocol thatranges from about 8000 grams per second to about 12000 grams per second.Hereinafter, when Applicants refer to the Texture Testing Protocol ineither the specification or the claims, Applicants intend that the termTexture Testing Protocol means using the specific testing methods andequipment described above.

In addition, the snack pieces contained high levels of multi-grains andwhole grains, and met the other industry established guidelines fornutrition. Specifically, the baked snack pieces had less than 35% oftheir calories from fat, 1 gram or less of saturated fat per serving,zero trans fat, no more than 60 mg of cholesterol and no more than 270milligrams of sodium per serving, and more than 10% of the FDArecommended daily value of fiber per serving. In sum, the result is ahealthy, nutritious, multi-grain, whole grain snack having a soft,crunchy texture similar to a cracker.

1. A method for making a whole-grain, multi-grain snack food, saidmethod comprising the steps of: a. mixing dry ingredients, oil and waterto make a dough, wherein said dough comprises by weight: about 10% toabout 25% whole wheat flour; about 5% to about 15% refined wheat flour;about 5% to about 15% modified starch; about 5% to about 15% waxystarch; about 3% to about 8% brown rice flour; about 3% to about 8%whole oat flour; about 1% to about 8% potato flakes; less than about 3%lecithin; less than about 1% mono and diglyceride mixture; less thanabout 2% double acting baking powder; about 15% to about 30% addedwater; b. forming said dough into a sheet; c. cutting said sheet into aplurality of pieces; and d. cooking said pieces to make a snack foodcomprising a moisture content of between about 1% to about 3% by weight,a characteristic hardness between about 8000 grams of force to about13000 prams of force when measured using a Texture Testing Protocol, anda characteristic crunchiness between about 8000 grams per second toabout 12000 grams per second when measured using said Texture TestingProtocol.
 2. A method for making a whole-grain, multi-grain snack food,said method comprising the steps of: a. mixing dry ingredients, oil andwater to make a dough, wherein said dough comprises by weight: about 15%to about 25% whole wheat flour; about 5% to about 15% refined wheatflour; about 5% to about 15% modified starch; about 5% 7 to about 15%waxy starch; about 1% to about 8% brown rice flour; about 1% to about 8%whole oat flour; about 1% to about 8% potato flakes; less than about 3%lecithin; less than about 1% mono and diglyceride mixture; less thanabout 2% double acting baking powder; and about 15% to about 30% addedwater; b. forming said dough into a sheet; c. cutting said sheet into aplurality of pieces; and d. cooking said pieces to make a snack foodcomprising a moisture content of between about 1% to about 3% by weight,a characteristic hardness between about 8000 grams of force to about13000 grams of force when measured using a Texture Testing Protocol, anda characteristic crunchiness between about 8000 grams per second toabout 12000 grams per second when measured using said Texture TestingProtocol. 3-5. (canceled)
 6. A whole-grain, multi-grain snack foodcomprising by weight: about 15% to about 25% whole wheat flour; about 5%to about 13% refined wheat flour; about 5% to about 20% modified starch;about 5% to about 20% waxy starch; about 1% to about 9% whole riceflour; about 1% to about 9% whole oat flour; about 1% to about 9% potatoflakes; less than about 3% lecithin; less than about 1% mono anddiglyceride mixture; less than about 2% leavening; about 1% to about 3%water; a characteristic hardness between about 8000 grams of force toabout 13000 grams of force when measured using a Texture TestingProtocol; and a characteristic crunchiness between about 8000 grams persecond to about 12000 grams per second when measured using said TextureTesting Protocol.
 7. (canceled)
 8. A whole-grain, multi-grain snack foodcomprising by weight: about 10% to about 25% whole wheat flour; about 5%to about 13% enriched wheat flour; about 5% to about 20% modifiedstarch; about 5% to about 20% waxy starch; about 1% to about 9% potatoflakes; about 2% to about 8% whole oat flour; about 2% to about 8% wholerice flour; about 1% to about 3% water; less than about 3% lecithin;less than about 1% mono and diglyceride mixture; and less than about 2%leavening a characteristic hardness between about 8000 grams of force toabout 13000 grams of force when measured using a Texture TestingProtocol; and a characteristic crunchiness between about 8000 grams persecond to about 12000 rams per second when measured using said TextureTesting Protocol. 9-11. (canceled)
 12. The method of claim 1 furthercomprising: e) seasoning said snack food.
 13. The method of claim 2further comprising: e) seasoning said snack food.
 14. A snack food madefrom the method of claim
 1. 15. A snack food made from the method ofclaim 2.